Captured by a Rose
by Yamiyugikun
Summary: Chapter 18 up! Suzaku falls in love with Kurama, kidnapping him. Suzaku threatens to kill Yusuke unless Kurama does what he asks. Kurama agrees to Suzaku's demands, but with his own plans in mind in 18. YusukeKurama. KuramaSuzaku. Sorry its taken me so l
1. Default Chapter

Title: Captured by a Rose

Series: Yuyu Hakusho

Rating: R

Pairing: Yusuke/Kurama (male/male)

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters

Summery: This fic begins where Kurama and Yusuke first meet in the series and their relationship develops into shoenen-ai.

* * *

In the forest the rain beat down hard. Pitter-patter, pitter-patter came the tapping of rain through the dense canopy above. Down the mucky, saturated path I hiked. One of my shoes sank deep into a sticky pool of mud. Not only was I drenched from head to toe, but now my uniform was soiled as well! Damn. I just returned from the dead, Koenma assigns me a job as Spirit Detective, and this what happens. 

"We think the three artifacts of darkness, stolen by those thieves from my father's vault in the spirit world might be in this part of the forest," Koenma surmised, before giving me anything but a hint on where the artifacts might be.

"Like your guess really helps me, Koenma," I grumbled, pulling my shoe out from the mud.

No sooner than I looked up, a bright light caught my eye! It was a beam of light that fell from the sky, descending into a patch of forest just ahead. "That just might be a lead!" I said under my breath, and raced ahead on the muddy trail to the source of the light.

It radiated from a forest clearing, rather large and dry in the area of light. No rain fell there for some odd reason or another. In the center of the clearing were two figures.

"With the Orb of Baast, I can consume as many souls as I want!" cackled one large figure, Goki, muscular man, swinging the Orb about in his hands.

"Now that we possess the three items of darkness, no one can stop us, not even the spirit world!" scoffed the shortest one named Hiei, a young male dressed in black with a white strip tied around his forehead, and hair that shot back in all directions. He brandished a sword, muttering something about how it turned anything it hits into demons. I recognized that blade from Koenma's description! It was one of the three artifacts. It dawned on me that I'd discovered the thieves, who stole the artifacts Koenma spoke of.

The last of the three thieves, Kurama, said nothing, watching passively from the shadows that cloaked him. "When the moon is full, I can use Forlorn Hope," he said softly to himself, emerging from a curtain of darkness.

Kurama stood there, his posture composed and expression calm, quite unlike the others. In that stillness he observed the world about him, in an intelligent and thoughtful manner. With my sight fixated on him, I stepped into the clearing. His gaze darted over to me, scanning me from top to toe as if I were the object of an intense and deliberate study.

In his scrutinizing gaze I noticed a deep emotion hidden within. His large, beautiful, green-orbed eyes concealed a sorrow buried beneath his calm, masked exterior. Under the mask I felt a deep-seated pain, down in the bottom of his soul that consumed his very being. I wanted to reach out, hug him and say, "It's okay, Kurama-kun. Share your pain with me."

Kurama's gaze intensified, as if he could read my thoughts, drawing me closer to him in his mind. "If only you could help, but you can't…" his forlorn thoughts echoed back.

"Hmm, and just who the hell is this?" snapped Hei, growing weary of the silence.

"Another puny human sent after us by Koenma," sneered Gouki, cutting in between Kurama and I. "His power's incredibly low. Just what'd I except from a human!"

How dare he insult me, that bastard Gouki! I strode right up to him. "The name's Urameshi Yusuke, Spirit Detective!" I announced. "And if you wanna make this easy, hand over the artifacts!"

"Forgive me, Yusuke, but I cannot do that," refused Kurama quietly. With a heavy heart laden with sadness, he turned to Hiei and Gouki, saying, "I apologize, but I do not share the same goals as you, Gouki, Hiei. Therefore, I withdraw from this alliance. Goodbye, then, Gouki, Hiei." Then he left and his figure vanished into the dense forest thicket.

"Just WHERE the bloody hell are you going, Kurama!?" roared Hiei, disappearing in a furry hot pursuit after Kurama.

* * *

After Kurama fled some distance in the thickly wooded forest, he paused to catch his breath, panting like a beast of prey that scarcely outran his predator by a hair's width. He perched atop a limb in one of the highest trees keeping a lookout, in case Hiei might be spotted. The rain abated revealing a clear view from his post.

Suddenly, about a half mile away, Kurama sensed a small blast of spirit energy emanate from the clearing where he fled. In the direction of the clearing a loud shriek pierced the air, echoing painfully through the forest canopy.

"It's Yusuke!" cried Kurama realizing my life was in grave danger.

Back at the clearing, Gouki showed me no mercy. Once I snagged the Orb, he transformed into his demon form, yanked me by my hair, and slammed me headfirst into a tree trunk. As I screamed from the top of my lungs in head splitting agony, I coughed up blood, staining my soiled clothes a fresh, crimson red. My sight of the ground and blood on my chest grew blurry. I found it harder to stay conscious feeling my world spin.

"I can't tell ya how hungry the smell of fresh blood makes me, kid!" laughed Gouki sadistically. He reached down, snatched the Orb back, inhaling in deeply of my bloody scent.

I lost all vision and my eyes shut. The spinning sensation grew more painful in a throb that jolted the insides of my head. I passed out, loosing all consciousness in a concussion, in a final act that was the end of me.

To be continued…


	2. Captured by a Rose, Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Gouki, you savage beast!" hissed a voice from behind Gouku. He froze in his tracks over my battered, unconsciousness body.

"Kurama!?" Gouki gasped, pivoting around to see Kurama, his spirit energy burning in a single flame of rage.

In spite of his wrath, Kurama managed to regain his composure, but barely. He brandished his rose whip, ready to strike.

"You'll fight me to save this pathetic human?" questioned Gouki irately. "But why risk your life? After all, we are both youkai."

Kurama narrowed his eyes, remaining silent.

"Very well. I will fight you for getting in my way, traitor!" hissed Gouki dashing furiously at Kurama.

The lovely, red hair youth evaded him with little effort. Gouki snarled then lunged at Kurama preparing to deliver his blow. Kurama jumped back, unleashed his rose whip, cutting through Gouki's defenses in a blow that slashed his chest, leaving a fresh, open wound.

"W-why do you fight…to save a human?" uttered Gouki falling to the ground. Before he passed out, in Kurama's eyes he found his answer. "You…you are a youkai, with the heart of a demon, yet…yet, you…you…love…"

* * *

The kitsune knelt over, breathing heavily to catch his breath. He gathered a blue orb near the place where Gouki fell. "At least he's out cold…" realized Kurama, glancing over at Gouki, who lay there unconscious.

Kurama didn't waste a moment rushing to my aid. "Yusuke!" he cried, on his knees beside me. "Are you okay!? Say something!"

"Ungg…" I groaned. My head hurt from all that damn throbbing. I felt dizzy, weak and nauseous, all signs of a severe concussion.

"Easy, Yusuke!" suggested Kurama, helping me sit up. "You just suffered from a bad concussion."

"Heh, no wonder I feel like…shit," I remarked, still out of it.

"Here, get on my back, I'll carry you," Kurama offered kindly. He stooped over and lifted me on, carrying me out of the clearing.

We vanished into the thick undergrowth of the forest, blanketed mostly by shadow from the thick canopy above. Occasionally, patches of silver moonlight lit the forest floor that streamed in through overhead leaves.

"Why…why are you helping me, Kurama?" I whispered into his ear, atop his back, as he skipped over a fallen log with deftness, coming closer to the forest edge.

"Why?" Kurama replied softly. Amidst the chorus of crickets whose nighttime songs permeated the crisp, night air, his mind wandered back to the musings of our first encounter. "In the moments we first met," recalled the kitsune in his thoughts, "You saw through me, Yusuke, in a way few would do. You saw the pain in the core of my soul that tortured me. You wanted to reach out and say, 'It's okay, Kurama-kun. Share your pain with me.' Why did you say that, Yusuke? You said that because you care, care for those around you."

"You care, Yusuke-kun," Kurama answered at last. "That's why."

To be continued…


	3. Captured by a Rose, Chapter 3

Hello everyone! Thank you for your feedback, and enjoy chapter 3!

* * *

Chapter 3

The sweet melody of songbirds greeted the rising sun, whose radiant light painted the morning sky, in a splash of brilliant hues, orange, pink, gold and red.

"Oh, what a beautiful sunrise!" exclaimed Botan in amazement. She threw open the curtains allowing the multicolored palette of light spill in to wash my apartment room ablaze in color.

"Light…too bright…" I murmured in my sleep. My eyes shot open. "Where am I!?" I cried aghast.

"Yusuke! It's all right," assured Botan's soothing voice. She sat at the head of my bed. "Last night, a boy named Shuichi-kun carried you home. You were unconscious then. He said you suffered from a concussion in the forest, and he brought you here."

"So it was no dream…" I whispered. Slowly, I sat up in bed, seeing my wounds all cleaned up. "Oww…" A slight pounding sensation racked my head. I felt a little dizzy, but way better than yesterday.

"Yusuke! You're ALIVE!" shrieked my mother, who hastened in. She jumped on me in a smothering hug that suffocated me.

"AIR!" I gasped in desperation.

A minute, she released me. "Yusuke, I was afraid you died again! Thank Kami-sama your alive!"

"Of course, Okasan," I grumbled. "And you don't smother someone who's had a concussion!"

"Like mother, like son. She's so much like you Yusuke-kun," chuckled Botan sweetly. She patted me on the head. I frowned.

"I'll make breakfast," announced Mother cheerfully. She headed into the kitchen.

"What're doing here, Botan!?" I said in a hushed voice.

Botan smiled saying, "I thought I'd make a good Spirit Detective's assistant, so here I am."

"Oh, right, Spirit Detective. The three artifacts of darkness, I have to find them!" I remembered suddenly. Just as I rolled out of bed, I tumbled onto the floor. "Head…dizzy…" I mumbled in pain.

"You're not going anywhere with that concussion of yours, Yusuke. Stay in bed," advised Botan, helping me up.

"Oh no, I'm not!" I insisted back. "Concussion or not, I'm going." I grabbed a walking stick for support and headed to the door.

I scarcely made it outside when Botan caught up. Even with the stick's support, I found it difficult to walk, plagued by an acute sense of disorientation. Botan took one of my arms around her shoulder to support me. With the stick to prop me on my other side, I managed a slow, though reasonable pace.

"If you listened to others, you wouldn't be Yusuke," remarked Botan with a sigh.

* * *

"So Botan, how do we find the artifacts?" I asked, now quite tired from the long trek into the heart of the city. We relaxed at an outdoor café, situated on the corner of two busy streets, where residents bustled by, darting here and there to begin their day's errands.

"Let's see…" Botan shuffled through her pack, pulling out an odd trinket like a watch with the face of a small compass on it. "Spirit Detective item, the demon compass!" she presented, handing it over. "It detects the presence of a nearby demon with the artifacts telling us where to go."

I took it, fastening it over my wrist. "Nifty! This is how we'll find 'em." No sooner than I fastened it, the compass needle spun wildly, pointing northeast into a crowd of shoppers.

The crowd parted to reveal a dazzling youth. His penetrating gaze fell upon me, drawing me in closer. His lips curved up into a slight smile, and in his eyes shined a twinkle of affection. It was the first time I ever saw a slight trace of happiness in him, even if it was for fleeting moment, like the dew that vanishes before the morning sun.

"Yusuke…" he whispered breathlessly.

"Kurama…" I said softly.

To be continued...


	4. Captured by a Rose, Chapter 4

Chapter 4

To Magia: This fic is a modification of the anime since it begins when Yusuke and Kurama first meet, continuing on through the series.

To everyone: Thank you for your support and encouragement.

* * *

"Kurama-kun!" I cried from the cafe, hobbling over on my walking stick into the street to greet him. "It's great to see you!" His very presence brightened my spirits like the sun shinning on a dark and cloudy day. 

The kitsune chuckled heartily. "I see you're up and about when you should be resting, Yusuke."

"See!?" muttered Botan, rubbing it in. "He NEVER listens at all!"

"That's enough, Botan!" I grumbled irritably.

Botan pulled me aside. "I have other concerns, Yusuke…" she whispered. "How can you trust Shuichi-kun, I mean, Kurama, when you just met him? His friend Gouki tried to kill you!"

"I know, Botan," I acknowledged. "But my heart tells me to trust him. He protected me from Gouki, then he brought me home, saving my life."

She sighed. "You are right, Yusuke, but still, be careful."

"Of course," I replied. "I'll ask Kurama about the Forlorn Hope, and the Orb of Baast."

Botan nodded. "Alright, I'll return to the spirit world and see what I can gather about the sword of darkness and its thief." Saying that, Botan left leaving Kurama and I alone.

"Yusuke, you are still hurt," said Kurama, sliding an arm under my shoulders to support me. "I know of a nice park nearby, where we can rest.

With Kurama's support, the trip to the park was swift, almost painless. Every time I lost my balance, even slightly, Kurama's grasp tightened, and he held me closer. I truly felt from the bottom of my heart that he cared about me.

At the park life abounded everywhere. Children laughed and played by the playground. Some built sandcastles, while others chased each other down the slides, or tested their skills on monkey bars. A bike path snaked around the playground, winding back into a deeply wooded area that appeared peaceful and secluded.

In that cove we found no people. Up in a branch of a pine tree there, a male songbird serenaded a female in an elaborate song of courtship. She crooned back, wooed by his call. A rival male interrupted and a chase between the three ensued.

"Fastening, aren't they?" observed Kurama watchfully. He sat down.

"Yeah, they are." I sat down besides him on an old, slightly rotted bench, lined with soft lichen. I leaned back gazing at the sky above where sunlight danced in through a maze of twining branches.

"While I'm here, I can escape the troubles of the world," said Kurama wistfully, gazing up into the same vast expanse of sky.

I said nothing, just listened thoughtfully. He continued: "Yet when I leave, the troubles return. I wish I could run away from them…forever, Yusuke…" Kurama drifted into thought, pondering deeply about recent events in his life. A particularly painful one surfaced as sadness in his expression. Tears welled in his beautiful, green eyes and he could no longer mask the pain he once held inside.

"Kurama!" I cried. He threw himself violently into my chest tortured by his pain. I wrapped my arms around him, to support him in the same way he supported me, on our walk to the park.

"It's my mother, my mother, Yusuke," sobbed Kurama bitterly. "She's…dying…"

To be continued…


	5. Captured by a Rose, Chapter 5

Chapter 5

His mother is dying. That was the source of the anguish deep in his soul. If only I could help him.

"I'm so sorry, Kurama-kun," I whispered, holding him tightly.

"It's okay," he sniffled, wiping away tears from his face. "Besides, you've done what a good friend would do. You're here for me, and that's all I can ask for."

"Really?" I said. "I know the pain death can cause. It hurts, doesn't it?"

Kurama nodded somberly. "That's why joined Hiei and Gouki in stealing the three artifacts of darkness. The artifact I carry, Forlorn Hope, has the power to grant its holder its any wish, even saving their loved ones from death. When I moon is full, I will use it to save Mother's life, then my pain will be no more."

The kitsune closed his eyes, breathing deeply. "Yusuke, what is it like to die?"

I sighed, thinking back to the time I died. "Painful, to see those around you suffer. Why do you ask, Kurama-kun?

"When Forlorn Hope grants a wish, it requires one thing in return, the life of its user, that's why," Kurama responded, his spirits sunken in anguish.

I grabbed the collar of Kurama's uniform. "What're saying, Kurama!?" I yelled. "That you're going to sacrifice your life for your mother's!?"

"Even if I am, you can't stop me, Yusuke!" cried Kurama back, yanking my arm from his collar. He sprang to his feet, and ran off.

"Kurama…" I uttered under my breath.

With Kurama gone the songbirds no longer sang. The sunlight no longer danced through the branches. Above in the expanse of sky, dark, gray storm clouds rolled in carried by the howling wind. It poured tears of rain.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Soaked, miserable and cold, I straggled home alone. In my apartment, I kicked off my shoes, and changed into my pajamas. I crept into my bed, shifted around until I felt comfortable, lying on my side. I dozed off to the tapping of rain that fell in a steady, lonely rhythm.

In my dream, I soared in the sky above Kurama's house. I descended downward to his house below. I floated outside his window, peering in through the rain-dripped glass. Inside the kitsune sat forlornly at his desk, writing in his diary. I drifted into his room and read what he wrote.

Dear diary,

When my gaze first met his in that forest clearing, I knew he cared about me. I saved him when Gouki attacked. I carried him home to safety. I bared my soul to him in the park. I told him Mother was dying. I told him I planned to sacrifice my life in exchange for hers. He got angry because he cared. He values my life when I don't. Why does he feel this way? Does he…love me? Even if he does, I'm not worthy. I hurt his feelings. Like Mother, he'll be better off without me.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Kurama!" I cried, waking up in bed.

"Yusuke, are you all right?" asked Botan, by my bedside.

"Yeah, I will be, Botan," I said lying. I slipped out of bed, straightening the covers.

"Something's bothering you, Yusuke," remarked Botan, seeing through my guise.

"It's Kurama," I sighed. The very thought of Kurama writing in his diary, 'He'll be better off without me,' struck a pang in my heart. "Kurama, you baka!" I yelled, clenching my fists tightly. "You're a selfish bastard, thinking only about your feelings! What about my feelings, my pain!?" I collapsed onto the floor, wailing bitterly.

Botan bent over, holding me closer "Oh Yusuke, what happened?" cried Botan frantically.

I explained to Botan about Kurama's mother and what I saw in my dream.

"That's terrible," she exclaimed. "But we've got three days until the moon is full, when Kurama can utilize Forlorn Hope's powers. Time is on our side. I'm sure we'll be able to stop him before then," she reassured me.

"You're right, Botan," I agreed, collecting myself at last.

To be continued…


	6. Captured by a Rose, Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Today, it was three days later. Tonight the moon would be full. Forlorn Hope would reach its maximum powers.

I couldn't concentrate in class with Kurama occupying my thoughts. "Kurama, you'd be not be doing anything stupid!" I warned him in my mind.

When class let out, I strolled by the main entrance to Sarayashiki Jr. High, only to recognize a familiar figure.

Kurama. He stood there, more calm and composed unlike a few days ago. He stepped forward, and then said, "Yusuke, I apologize for the way I acted. Usually I'm in control of my feelings, except this time…"

I smiled, both delighted and relieved to see him at the same time. "It's okay. No worries, alright?"

He nodded, returning my smile slightly. "Thank you, Yusuke-kun." For a moment I saw a faint redness in the corners of his eyes. It was apparent he cried a lot, feeling all those emotions he stuffed deep, down inside. He needed time alone for that.

"Yusuke-kun," he continued, "I'm heading to the hospital to visit my mom. The doctors said her condition has stabilized, so it's a relief for now, thank Kami-sama."

"I'm glad, Kurama-kun," I said.

"Would you like to come with me?" the kitsune asked.

I nodded. "Sure."

We arrived at the Nakayama General Hospital later that evening. An ambulance with its blaring sirens stopped short just before the entrance to the emergency room. Two paramedics swiftly carried out their victim on a stretcher, his head bloody and bruised. "God, it hurts! It hurts!" he yelled in horrific agony.

"Those old bones, they won' last," mumbled an elderly lady on her can hobbling over in pain to the main entrance.

I hated hospitals. It was where people came to die, reminding me of a gateway to the world of death itself.

"Yusuke, you okay?" questioned Kurama abruptly.

"Yeah, I will be," I sighed.

Seeing my distress, Kurama took my arm in his, leading me through this gateway to the world of death, as I called it. On the fourth floor in room A, with Minamono written on it, waited Kurama's mother.

She was a sweet lady in her middle ages, but sadly her emaciated frame aged her more. "Who's there?" she cried weakly through unopened, wrinkled eyes.

"Mother!" Kurama ran to her side, learned over, hugging her tightly. "Oh Mother, I'm so happy to see you. I missed you. I dreamed last night that you might have…died."

"But dear, the doctors said I'm stable…" she uttered feebly, trying to comfort her beloved son.

"The doctors lie, even when someone's on their death bed," rejoined Kurama sorrowfully, his voice full of doubt.

"I'll be fine, I promise, okay, Shuichi-kun?" she whispered through a forced smile.

"Alright, Mom. I'll be back in a bit, so get some rest." Kurama released her, coming over to me.

"I'd like a breath of fresh air," I told him.

On the roof of the hospital the cool night wind blew softly. Kurama closed his eyes, breathing it in deeply. He strolled over to the edge of the roof. He paused. His tall, handsome, silhouette cut a lovely form against the round shape of the full moon, which enveloped him in a silvery, luminescent light. It's almost as if the moon herself deliberately cast upon him a soft shimmer of light to bring out every aspect of his beauty.

"Kurama," I said softly, stepping closer to the object of my affections.

"Yusuke," he echoed back. "Thank you for being my…friend."

I approached him, narrowing the space between us. "Your welcome. Remember when we first met?"

"I do," recalled Kurama. "Trapped in my own world, I was drowning in my own pain. You were the one person who reached out, and said, 'It's okay, Kurama-kun. Share your pain with me.' We grew close, and our friendship has helped me face that pain." Kurama made eye contact with me. "Why did you reach out to help me, Yusuke-kun?"

His large green eyes, reflected the glow of the moonlight, gazed longingly into mine, waiting for an answer. I retreated into myself searching for an answer. I discovered deep, powerful feelings, yet I couldn't express them. "Kurama, that's a difficult question. I find it hard to answer…"

"Do you?" Kurama teased me, chuckling lightly. "Feelings are complicated. In due time, the words will come."

The lovely red head turned around, passing by me close enough so that our cheeks brushed slightly.

I grew beet red, flushed with embarrassment. "HEY! What's the big idea!?"

Kurama laughed. "Oh, its nothing."

That night on the roof we relaxed and joked with one another in a way, that for the first time felt normal and pleasant.

To be continued…


	7. Captured by a Rose, Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Thank you everyone for your feedback and comments!

* * *

"I believe you were looking for this, Yusuke," said Kurama softly. He held out a green crystal orb, a deep green like the color of rich malachite. Its many geometric facets reflected a multitude of light, especially the moon's silvery light.

"The Orb of Baast…" I murmured, awestruck by its splendor.

"After knocking out Gouki, I found it on the ground beside him. Here, take it." Kurama offered it.

I took it and smiled. "Thank you, Kurama…"

He smiled back in a shared moment of intimacy.

"Shuichi-kun! Shuichi!" A desperate scream pierced the air. A doctor ran to Kurama, breathing so heavily he could scarcely speak. "It's your mother!"

"Mother!?" gasped Kurama. "What happened?"

"I fear her condition has destabilized," reported the doctor regretfully. "She might not make it through the night."

"WHAT!?" Kurama couldn't believe his ears. His world fell apart, he struggled to piece it back together, and now it fell apart again. "MOTHER!!" he screamed, shattering the placid silence of the night.

The doctor sighed knowing he could do nothing to ease Kurama's suffering. He left to check up on Kurama's mother.

Kurama shook me hard. "Why do things like this happen, Yusuke? WHY?"

It's like asking, why does suffering happen?

"Kurama-kun, I…I don't know…" I said grimly.

The kitsune turned from me, now taking out something else. In his hands was a small, round mirror, its surface crystal clear. It was the Forlorn Hope!

"Yusuke…" he began. "You've been a great friend, the greatest friend I could ever have."

"Kurama!" I yelled. "What are you saying!?"

"I'm saying…" Kurama paused. "Thank you for…for everything. Goodbye, Yusuke-kun." He closed his eyes, praying to the Forlorn Hope. "Oh spirit who dwells in this cursed mirror, come forth and grant me the wish of my heart."

A loud, resonant voice reverberated out from the depths of time and space. "Is the happiness and life of this woman the desire of your heart?" it asked, causing the image of Kurama's mother to appear in the mirror.

"Yes, her happiness is all I desire, from the bottom of my heart. She loved me, she raised me care during my 15 years of life. Yet all I have done in return is deceive her, by wanting to run away. Now, the least I can do is to give my life to save hers," whispered Kurama sorrowfully. The lovely youth glimpsed into the mirror one last time, to behold the image of the mother he loved so dearly.

"Very well," returned the voice. "I grant you your wish by taking your life to save hers."

"KURAMA!!" I cried, barely able to hear the sound of my own voice drowned out by a hiss that split the air.

The noise came from a white beam of light that fell onto the hospital roof. It surrounded Kurama and me in a blinding column of light! In the middle of the column the mirror sparked, then lightning crackled and emanated from it. The lightning bound Kurama sucking out his very life force.

I reached out to grab it, only to have the lightning jerk me down as well. "Mirror!" I roared. "Don't take his life! Take mine instead!"

Kurama seized me. "Baka Yusuke!" he screamed. "Why do you do this!?"

"No mother should suffer…the agony of loosing her son…" I uttered weakly, feeling my life force wane. "And…I have my own reasons…Kurama-kun…"

"What reasons? Yusuke? Yusuke!!" hollered Kurama, shaking me violently.

I shut my eyes halfway, feeling even weaker. "Remember…Kurama-kun? You asked me…why did I reach out and help you? It's the same reason I give my life now…for yours…" I withdrew into myself to find those deep and powerful feelings take a hold of me. Now I knew what they were. "Love…" I whispered. "Love, Kurama…"

"…Love?" repeated Kurama. "The words…they finally came to you…" He sniffled. His eyes watered. A small, tear fell from his cheek and onto mine, like a diamond of sparkling sadness.

The lightning and bright light dissipated, leaving Kurama and I alone under the night sky, bathed in the moon's silver glow.

"Yusuke-kun, don't leave me," implored Kurama tearfully. He held me tighter. "I can't live without you…Yusuke!"

Kurama's cry echoed in my consciousness. "Kurama?" I called out faintly.

"Yusuke-kun, you're alive!" Kurama exclaimed.

I still breathed, but barely. My head pounded. Sweat beads coated my body, drenching my clothes. The Forlorn Hope took most of my life force, and some of Kurama's to save his mother.

"How valiant of you, lad," commended the mirror's deep voice. "You were willing to sacrifice your very life for the one you love. Keep that love shinning, even in the darkest of times, Urameshi Yusuke."

As the mirror said that, the moon's aura seemed to brighten. She smiled down on us, her light soft and happy.

To be continued…


	8. Captured by a Rose, Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Author's note: I revised this chapter. I thought the previous one with Hiei's entry was rather choppy, cutting up the flow of the story. Please let me know what you think of this revision. Thank you.

* * *

I lay down on the cold cement of the hospital roof with Kurama.

You're weak. I'll give you some of my spirit energy," said Kurama thoughtfully.

He pressed his lips to mine. The touch of his warm flesh to mine drew us closer. He breathed his spirit energy into me, revitalizing me in the same way Keiko did when she resuscitated me a week ago. With the kitsune's energy refreshing my body, all feelings of fatigue vanished.

"How do you feel, Yusuke-kun?" he questioned.

I smiled. "Better."

"By the way, thank you for saving my life…and my mother's. Neither of us would be alive if it wasn't for you. How can I thank you?" said Kurama gratefully.

I winked. "Don't worry about it, Kurama-kun. Besides, I'd do anything, especially for a friend like you."

Kurama returned my smile. "Thanks."

When we arrived at his mother's unit on forth floor, the doctors couldn't believe the change. Her heartbeat returned to normal, indicated by the steady, monotonous beat of the monitor. Her blood pressure stabilized, her breathing eased.

"She's stabilized!" cried one of the doctors. "She'll be alright!"

Soon the doctors left her unit to attend to other incoming patients. Kurama sat besides her, clasping her hand in his.

"Mother, I thought you were the only one who loved me. Now I know, there are others, who love me too," Kurama said, releasing his mother's hand.

He sank back into the chair beside me, falling asleep with his head on my shoulder. I too slept. In my dream, I floated freely in the room above my body. I sensed the presence of other spirits nearby. I flew out in the hall to see what was there.

In another unit, a spirit messenger like Botan loomed by the bed of a dying woman. The aged body inhaled its last breath, then stiffened growing cold and still. A luminescent figure emerged from it, embraced by the messenger.

I

"Her soul is being escorted to the Spirit World," hummed a rich, ethereal voice around me.

"Botan?" I called out.

She appeared to me her exquisite, pink kimono, hovering on her broomstick. "That's what happens when the living cross over. Remember, when we first met, Yusuke?"

"Yeah, and I thought you were the grim reaper," I chuckled softly, gliding over to her. "Oh, did I tell you, I found two of the artifacts, the Forlorn Hope and the Orb of Baast."

Botan rejoiced. "Yusuke, that's great! But I have some bad news. The last thief, Hiei, who stole the sword of darkness has…vanished."

"What!?" I exclaimed. "What'd we do? We only got four more days!"

"I'll go look for him. You take care of Kurama, okay?" said Botan, taking off.

"Yusuke-kun, where are you?" echoed Kurama from inside his mother's room.

"I'm here," I answered, flying back in. The kitsune also dreamt now, since we meet in the same dream now.

"Do you see her?" Kurama glanced over at his mother.

"Yes. She's dreaming," I replied.

As I said that her dream body rose up from her physical body in a majestic flash of light. This must have been the first time she experienced her dream consciously, for she gazed about in surprise.

"Have…I died and gone to heaven?" her thoughts resonated silently.

"Mother!" cried Kurama, gliding closer. "You're dreaming."

He startled her. "Dreaming?" she asked sweetly. "You…you're an angel sent by Kami-sama. I've heard stories where people are about to die and angels come with a message from Kami-sama, who says it's not their time. Have you come to tell me that, my dear angel?"

Kurama contemplated deeply. "This must be Mother's way of understanding what happened," he thought. "So I'll play the role of her angel."

"Yes, I've come for you Shiori-san, with that message," the kitsune announced gently. His great love for her manifested as an aura of pink light radiating from his heart center. "I also want to tell you how much you mean to your dear son."

"My Shuichi-kun?" Shiori wondered.

"That's right," said Kurama, clasping her hands in his. "You opened his heart, teaching him how to love. And for that he'll always thank you."

"Oh, dear angel," wept Shiori, shedding tears of light. "I am so happy for him! Thank you for sharing that with me."

"Your welcome, beloved. Kami-sama blesses you and wishes for your happiness." As Kurama said that he waved goodbye to his mother. She returned to her body. Her dream ended. Dawn finally broke in the darkened sky, spilling out shades of violent, orange, pink and red in misty fingers of light.

* * *

When Kurama's mother woke up, a healthy pink replaced her old, deathly pallor. She looked ten years younger bursting with life and vitality.

"Doctor, I'd like to check out. I've never felt so invigorated!" she exclaimed cheerfully.

"Well, Minamono-san, you seem perfectly well so I have no objections. The nurses will check your vital signs, then you are free to go," he observed.

* * *

Outside of Nakayama general hospital Shiori smelled fresh flowers, breathed in the morning air, and bathed in the warm sun for the first time in months.

"I've never seen her so happy," remarked Kurama joyfully. "And it's all because of you, Yusuke-kun."

"Me, Kurama-kun?" I said. "What did I do?"

"Now's not the time to be modest," the kitsune teased. "I wouldn't be alive if it wasn't for you. You saved my life, and Mother's. For that, I'll always be grateful." Kurama grinned playfully.

"What?" I muttered.

"I'd like to thank you, with this." Kurama closed his eyes wrapping one arm around my waist, the other sliding behind my neck. He pulled me so cloth I felt his breath on my lips. "Close your eyes." His soft lips caressed mine, landing a tender kiss.

To be continued…

* * *

Author's Note: I finished finally! That ends the saga with Kurama's mother. I feel this revision wraps it up. So the next saga begins in a new chapter of Kurama and Yusuke's love… 


	9. Captured by a Rose, Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Hi everyone! Merry Christmas! Sorry this update took so long. I had my final exams for this quarter. Those things can keep you busy. If you can, please read the Chapter 8 revision I posted. Chapter 9 is a continuation of that revision. Please let me know what you think of this chapter.

* * *

The weather that day was lovely, neither too hot nor too cold. Kurama, his mother and I decided a visit to one of Nakayama's most exquisite botanical gardens.

It was a nice place to relax. The garden was located on the outskirts of town. It was near the dense, old growth forest where I first met Kurama, Hiei and Gouki that rainy night.

"I think I'll rest," sighed Ms. Minamono, as she stopped outside the garden's entrance. She sat down on a decorative wooden bench, sheltered from the sun by an overgrowing tree.

"Okay, Mother, rest well. I'll take Yusuke-kun around for a tour of the garden," replied Kurama quietly, taking my hand. "We'll be back in an hour."

"All right, Shuichi-kun, wake me up when you return" she mumbled sleepily, nodding off to sleep, exhausted from the long walk to the garden from the hospital.

A tall, wooden fence, draped by a blanket of thick and lush enclosed the garden, keeping it separate it from the outside world. Kurama and I passed under an arched gate, covered by climbing rose vines. His face glowed with joy as he as strolled along the main, hedge-lined path. I trailed in after him.

"When I think about heaven, I imagine it as a lovely garden like this, Yusuke-kun" he sang out gaily.

Deep in the garden all sorts of roses grew in abundance. Rose trees stood two to three feet in height lined different pathways in an array of red, pink and peach. Down below there are a bunch of small roses covering the lawn, yellow and white.

The combined scent of all those roses permeated the air like a foggy mist, giving it the aroma of a sweet perfume.

"It smells heavenly, doesn't it?" commented Kurama. He breathed iy the fragrant scent of roses. I saw that it relaxed him, calming his spirits.

"It does," I agreed in delight. Today was the first afternoon I could finally rest during my first assignment as a Spirit Detective.

* * *

A week ago Koenma showed up saying, "Yusuke, here's first job, track down three criminals on the spirit world's most wanted list, named Hiei, Gouki and Kurama. Recover the three spirit world artifacts they've stolen."

"That's all there is to it?" I asked.

Koenma nodded. "Yes, Yusuke. Complete this assignment and you'll be well rewarded."

After that I trekked through the forest in search of Kurama, Hiei and Gouki that rainy night. Until I reached that column of light, I thought of this as a simple mission, nothing more. Then I laid eyes on Kurama and all that changed.

* * *

"Thinking about something, Yusuke-kun?" Kurama asked, as he lay down on a comfortable patch of soft grass.

I sat down on the grass besides him. "Yeah, about when I first met you, Kurama-kun."

The redhead rolled over onto his side, facing me. He smiled happily. "You fell in love with me."

I blushed. "I know but there's just one thing, Kurama."

The kitsune blinked. "What's that?"

"You're…guy," I sighed. "I mean, if you were a girl like Keiko-chan…"

Kurama's joy turned into concern. "I knew this would come up, sooner or later, Yusuke-kun. Among youkai, gender doesn't matter as much as it does in humans. Even though I am living this life as a human, I still do not understand," Kurama observed regretfully.

Suddenly, Kurama grabbed me, pulled me close and whispered, "Listen Yusuke! We've been through a lot together. I saved your life back in the forest from Gouki. You saved mine by stopping me from sacrificing myself to the Forlorn Hope." Let me ask you this, why did you stop me, Yusuke-kun?" His eyes locked on me, desperately seeking an answer, demanding one.

"I told you before!" I shouted at him.

"Say it again!" demanded Kurama. He leaned over me. Anger flashed wildly in his eyes.

My body stiffened, freezing against the ground. I never saw Kurama this demanding, this insistent.

"Love…" I uttered meekly under my breath. "That's why I stopped you."

He lowered himself onto me, the weight of his body pressing against mine. "Say it…louder, so I can hear you!" Kurama insisted.

I titled my head up slightly. His breath hit my face, an inch from his. "LOVE!" I yelled, so that my voice echoed around the garden, over and over again until it faded out.

Kurama slid his finger under my chin, tilting it up, so our lips nearly met. "Do you, really?" he said, teasing me, pushing me to my limit.

"I do!" Without thinking, I pushed the redhead off me and flipped him over. Straddling him, I bent over, and shut him up with a kiss. A kiss of want, anger and need, because I did need him.

We broke only when we needed air. I rolled off him, panting. I could hear Kurama doing the same thing beside me.

"Now tell me, that wasn't fun, Yusuke-kun?" Kurama smirked, lusty and full of mischief.

"Fun!?" I muttered, frowning. I pulled at his shirt. "You're a damn guy, Minamono! Tell Keiko-chan or Kuwabara-kun bout this and your dead!"

Kurama laughed heartily. "Don't worry, your secret is safe with me…" He winked. "In time, you'll come to accept our new relationship, Yusuke-kun," he reassured me lovingly.

* * *

After that intense time, Kurama and I both needed downtime away from each other. I retreated to one corner of the garden. I relaxed by the side of a pond. I watched the lazy carp swim about in the pond before I closed my eyes. I could feel the carp in the pond and decided I might as well practice some of those skills that Botan had suggested. I picked a carp and kept tabs on him as he moved about.

Not far away, Kurama rested under a tree. He reclined against its long, smooth trunk. He took out his diary. He wrote:

"Dear Diary,"

"Most of my entries are depressing. But today's entry will be joyful. Mother is doing well. She is healthy and happy. It's all thanks to Yusuke-kun. Yesterday evening, I thought only of her life. I would have given anything to save her, including my life. That's how much I love her. I probably would of done it. But Yusuke-kun stopped me. He was willing to die in place of me, so Mother might live. The Forlorn Hope said his actions were valiant. I'd say that his actions are a testament to the love he feels for me deep, down inside."

"When I write about love, I think of an old saying. It goes like this. Love is like a butterfly. It lands on your shoulder you least except it."

* * *

Kurama stopped writing. He looked up out of the corner of his eye at my shoulder. "How interesting, Yusuke-kun. What a coincidence."

I opened one eye. On my left shoulder an orange wing flashed. A monarch butterfly alighted on me. "How pretty," I whispered. "I wonder why its there, Kurama-kun."

Kurama put his dairy away. He crept over quietly. He knelt next to me. He fixated his gaze on the flash of orange insect wings. "It likes you."

"Yusuke-kun! Shuichi-kun! Where are you?" called out a soft, female voice suddenly. It was Ms. Minamono.

"Ooops. I forgot to wake Mother up," recalled Kurama. "It seems an hour has passed. Shall we be going, Yusuke-kun?"

I nodded. "Yeah. By the way, I had a good time today. It's a nice break from the action."

The kitsune's lips curled up into a sweet smile. "I'm glad."

I smiled back. Then Kurama and I stood up. We held hands, walking over to his mother. As we did that, the monarch left me. It beat its vibrantly colored wings, flying higher and higher above me. It flew up until its form became a small, orange dot. It vanished against the dark blue of the late, afternoon sky.

To be continued…


	10. Captured by a Rose, Chapter 10

Chapter 10

The sun sank lower on the western horizon towards China. In another hour it would set completely. The patch of sky around the sinking orb was white. Further out, it faded into a light shade of purple, then to a darker tint closer to blue. The blue was grayish, almost gloomy in its appearance. Its dull tones could be compared to the Sea of Japan, during a long, cold winter.

A chilly wind blew over Ms. Minamono, Kurama and I. It caused me to shiver, creeping in under my school uniform. "The weather was so nice before. I can't believe it's gotten so cold," I remarked.

"I know. It gets cold at night. It's almost autumn," Kurama replied, reminded by the slight change in the colors of the leaves. "Soon, the entire forest by this road, will be ablaze in colors like red, orange and yellow."

"It'll be splendid," I said, looking forward to it.

"Shuichi-kun, this forest is familiar to me," Ms. Minamono interjected. Her gaze fell over the forest, evoking an old memory in her. "Now I remember. Twenty years ago, I used to visit a shrine in this forest. If it's possible I'd like to go there, Shuichi-kun. Then I can thank Kami-sama for my recovery."

The redhead glanced up at the sky. "The weather doesn't look good, Mother. Those storm clouds might roll in."

"They're pretty far away, so we should be okay, Shuichi-kun. The shrine is only ten minutes from here," insisted Ms. Minamono. She desperately wanted to go.

Kurama saw how she felt. He didn't want to hurt her feelings, so he gave him. "Alright, Mother, but we must hurry. It'll grow dark soon and I don't want to take any chances with the weather."

We walked to the edge of the forest.

"The path that leads to this shrine should be somewhere around here," said Ms. Minamono, shuffling around in some underbrush.

A slight parting between some shrubberies caught my eye. "Over here, Ms. Minamono! I found it," I called out.

Kurama, Ms. Minamono and I stepped in through the opening. We discovered an old pathway that led to the shrine. It was a dirt path. Stepping-stones of various sizes and shapes covered it. Bright green mosses coated them. Lush vegetation sprang up in cracks between the rocks. A cool, foggy mist gradually settled in, clouding the trail ahead.

"It's very peaceful here," said Kurama softly. "The scenery reminds me of one of those old Chinese paintings."

"Indeed," agreed Ms. Minamono.

The tranquility settled our thought filled minds. We forgot completely about the setting sun and possible impending weather.

After we hiked in ten minutes on the trail, I spotted something in the mist. It was made of two vertical poles, holding up two horizontal poles on top of them, much like a doorway. "What is that, Kurama-kun?" I asked, looking above.

We stopped in front of it. "It's a torii, Yusuke-kun," explained Kurama. "A torii is a wooden archway, or gateway that marks an entrance to a Shinto shrine. A torii symbolizes the boarder between the human and kami world."

"The paint on it is peeling and flaked. It looks like no one has fixed it for a long time, maybe fifteen years," noted Ms. Minamono. "It must sadden the kami who live here."

"Kami?" I asked. "What are those?"

Kurama told me, "Kami are the spirits of nature that reside in the plants, mountains, trees, and rivers, all of nature itself. Kami are worshipped in Shinto, an indigenous Japanese religion that focuses on a peoples oneness with nature."

We passed under the torii entering the shrine grounds. The energy here felt powerful and sacred, in contrast to the energy of the outside world.

"Let's purify ourselves before approaching the shrine," said Ms. Minamono. She led Kurama and I to a large, stone washbasin near the torii.

"The basin is cracked, Mother," said Kurama. "There's no water in it. It looks like this place has been abandoned for a long time. Let's see the what condition the shrine is in."

The mist here made it difficult to see. Kurama felt his way through it until he reached a secluded grove of trees within the shrine grounds. Ms. Minamono and I followed behind him. In the grove we climbed up a few worn down, mossy steps to an elevated, stone platform. Gray, green and brown lichens coated where repeated rainfalls eroded its once smooth surface.

In front of us, a porch projected out from the shrine's wooden structure. An overhang sheltered it. Two vertical beams supported the overhang. In between them was an altar where the visitors prayed. Ms. Minamono came forward. She worshipped in manner people did so when approaching Shinto shrines. She bowed twice, clapped her hands and bowed once more.

She closed her eyes and joined her palms in prayer uttering, "Dear Kami-sama, thank you for giving me another chance to live my life."

When Kurama saw her pray, he thought about his own prayers. "I'm going to pray, Yusuke-kun, " the kitsune whispered to me. He took off down a walkway on the platform that enclosed the shrine. The mist obscured him.

I walked after him around the corner where he vanished, by the side of the shrine. I got close enough to make out his form in the cloudy air.

His countenance was solemn. He stood there in silence, like a lone statue watching over an abandoned garden. Not even the wind stirred or dared to disturb his silence. In a somber voice, barely audible in the quietness spoke. "Kami-sama, if you are here listening there's a lot on my mind. My life has changed in such a short period of time. "My life has changed so much in a short period of time. Last week I suffered in silence. The pain became unbearable that I thought about death. I wondered what's it like to die? Won't it be a release from the suffering of life, as well as a way to save Mother's life?"

A mourning dove perched itself in a tree next to the shrine. It called out sadly, "Hoo, hoo, hoo…" It ruffled its feathers to warm itself in the cool air.

"How fitting that a bird sings sadly when I talk like this," Kurama ruminated, raising his voice slightly.

"Maybe he's telling you you're not alone, Kurama-kun," I spoke up, a few steps closer to him. I could now see him clearly.

He turned to me. His expression was wistful like the time when we first met.

"Death isn't the answer," I pointed out.

"Then what is?" His emerald eyes, desperate for an answer, locked onto mine like they did back in the garden.

"Life, I guess," I replied.

"What was it about life that made you want to return?" Kurama probed deeper.

"Umm…my mom, Keiko-chan, Kuwabara-kun," I pondered. "They were lonely without me. They missed me. I mattered to them."

"So it was human relationships then," realized Kurama. "And the love you felt, Yusuke-kun."

"Yeah, something like that. You know I used to be just like you, Kurama-kun, feeling all depressed and stuff. During the time when I died, I learned one important thing," I answered.

The kitsune perked up. "What's that, Yusuke-kun?"

I answered, "Even if you think people don't care, they do. They just don't show it. That's why we feel alone. When I died, I saw how my mother cried. I saw Keiko sink into depression. Hell, even Kuwabara-kun was down. But while I was alive, they never revealed their true feelings to me."

He gazed at me, questioning me. "You knew how I felt when we first met, Yusuke-kun. Is that why you reached out and befriended me?"

"That, and other reasons," I said.

"I want to know." His emerald eyes, desperate for an answer, locked onto mine like they did back at the garden.

"Alright, close your eyes, Kurama-kun," I said.

The redhead did so. I slid my arms around him, one around his neck, and the other behind his waist. I whispered into his ear, "There is another reason I befriended you, Kurama-kun. My feelings for you."

Back in the garden, Kurama knew I let something divide us, our gender. He wanted to know if I truly loved him. That's why he was so demanding, so insistent. I only held back my feelings him out of fear, of what others might think.

"I don't care if you're a guy, Kurama-kun. I won't let some stupid, anti-gay prejudice divide us because…I love you." I kissed him. A kiss of acceptance because he meant everything to me

To be continued…


	11. Captured by a Rose, Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Next Chapter, Hiei comes in! Yay! I tried to fit him in this chapter, but it would be too long. Thank you everyone for your reviews! Ariagto!

* * *

My kiss transformed any sorrow or doubt that plagued him into a sweet love that overflowed through his spirits. The feeling flickered in his eyes like a freshly kindled fire.

"Yusuke-kun, I love you so much," Kurama uttered, his face radiant with love.

My lover closed the distance that divided us. He clasped his hands behind my neck on its nape. They felt warm against the bitter chill of the twilight air. I hugged him tightly. The heat from our bodies enveloped each other in an aura of intimate warmth.

"I wish this moment could last forever," I whispered, wishing for an impossibility to come true.

"I know." Kurama felt the same way.

As we held each other the temperature slowly dropped with the setting sun. It started to drizzle.

"It's getting cold. The sun is down. We should leave now before it pours," Kurama suggested, loosening his hold on me.

After the drizzle it quickly turned into a downpour.

"I think it's too late. Look how heavy the rains become," I said with a sigh.

"You're right," murmured Kurama.

We released one another from our hug. With the weather now bad it no longer felt romantic. Ten minutes later the downpour thickened into torrents. They grew heavier, raining down one after another. The wind became brutal. It howled pushing the droplets towards us at an angle under the eaves. We huddled closer against the shrine's wall, as far back under the as we could go.

"Achoo!" Someone sneezed quivering from the coldness. It was Ms. Minamono. She shuffled around the corner, bent over and quivering. "How stupid I am, Shuichi-kun! It's all my fault that we're stranded and freezing," she cried.

"I understand your feelings, Mother. Now's not the time to panic," he said gently, not the least bit unperturbed.

How he remained placid beats me. I wanted to say to her face, "Yes, Minamono-san, you are damn fool who doesn't listen to her son." But that's just me.

"Mother, Yusuke-kun, follow me," the redhead asserted, keeping as close to the wall as possible to avoid getting rained on.

He led Ms. Minamono and me to front of the shrine in the entryway situated behind the altar. The extended roof of the porch provided more cover from the torrential weather.

"Good thinking, Kurama-kun. Here we're still cold, but at least we don't get rained on," I said with a sigh of relief.

"That's just part of my plan," Kurama added quickly. He pointed to the shrine's double doorway. "See that old rusty lock, Yusuke-kun? On the count of three, I want you to help me yank it."

"I get it, Shuichi-kun," exclaimed Ms. Minamono. "We'll not only be dry, but warmer inside the shrine as well."

"That's right, Mother," agreed Kurama. "You just got out of the hospital so I want you to stay dry and well." Kurama said to me, let's pull that lock."

Together we both grasped the lock and tugged. "1, 2, 3!" We fell back. It slid off like a knife through hot butter.

Kurama examined the lock. "Looks like it was cut already but a sharp metal object. There's no rust in the cut so it must be recent."

"I bet someone's inside!" I assumed. I kicked the doors open. Nothing. I only breathed in dank, stale air that smelled from the shrine's decaying wood. "It's safe. Come in," I told Ms. Minamono and Kurama.

Once inside everyone stopped shivering. I bolted the shrine doors shut to keep out the hostile wind and relentless rain. The rain sounded like a thousand hammers, all-pounding mercilessly on the roof above. Just then, we froze from the crackling of thunder. Lightning struck. It lit the room briefly like a hypnotic strobe light. We heard an earsplitting noise, a crash, and then a thud from above. The roof creaked where part of a tree hit.

Ms. Minamono fainted from the fear. Kurama caught her in his arms. He lay her down on the mildewed floorboards in the back of the shrine's small interior.

"Is she okay!?" I cried out. I squinted in the darkness. I strained my eyes to see Kurama's form. I crawled over, sitting near his mother.

"Yeah, she is," replied Kurama, checking Ms. Minamono's pulse and breathing. "Nothing is wrong. She'll be okay. That noise just scared her. She'll wake up when it's over."

Crack boom! More claps of thunder echoed. Their combined noise reverberated as if an army of kami clashed in the sky over who might be the victors of this cloudy domain. Another heavy torrent slammed down into the beaten roof, which tired from the torture of countless downpours.

I huddled over into a ball, grasping my legs. I trembled in terror. "This storm scares me shitless, Kurama-kun. I don't blame your mom for reacting the way she did."

After Kurama made sure his mother was okay, he sat down next to me. He saw my discomfort. Kurama thought to himself. "I can at least I can comfort him. I'll show how I feel."

He inched behind me. He slipped his thin, muscular arms beneath my shoulders. They locked around me protecting me from the world. I am his prisoner of his soul captured in his grasp with no key. In that grasp I cocked my head back. I gazed into his emerald, liquid pools. I felt myself fall in drowning in sweet ecstasy.

In sweet ecstasy he kissed me. His hot, tender lips pressed against my flesh warming it, causing it to sir. He trailed many sweet kisses along my neckline, each kiss hotter, deeper, more loving than the rest. I melted in his love.

"Oh, Kurama-kun, that feels good," I said dreamily, seeing his smile through half closed lids.

My love caressed my forehead, pushing aside some thin tendrils, tucking them behind my ears. "You are tired, rest Yusuke-kun. The storm will soon subside."

The rain lightened a little bit, sounding like the tapping of birds' feet on the roof instead of hammers now.

I sighed heavily. I felt my body grow weary. "You're right, Kurama-kun. I'll get some sleep." In the safety of his arms, I fell fast asleep.

To be continued…


	12. Captured by a Rose, Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Author's Note: I think this chapter is my most dramatic, lots of angst and drama. My own person feelings of loosing a best friend after 15 years went into this, so I guess it makes it dramatic.

* * *

I slept. My consciousness rose from my body like an angel that ascended to the Heavens, separating from deadweight garment of flesh that contained it. I floated in a body of pure light, my spirit body. I used this body when I dreaming, free from the shackles of time and space. Where I desired to travel to I arrived instantly in a single thought moment.

I found myself in Koenma's reception room in the Spirit World. "Yusuke! Ya scared me!"

I greeted him. "Hey, Enma!"

He hopped on his desk. "Me, Enma??"

A hand intruded, pinching my ass and nearly something else too. . "Call him Koenma!"

I whirled around briskly, facing Botan. "You naughty girl! I know what you're thinking! Obviously, you never do more than date, eh?" I joked with her.

Botan's blushed, her cheeks a deep red. "I didn't mean to…"

"Hey! Down to business," Koenma snapped. He sighed, his voice laden with worry. "We have two my days before King Enma, my father returns from vacation. It's imperative that you gather the final artifact, Yusuke."

"The sword of darkness, Hiei has it," I added.

Botan stepped forward, her mind riveted in Koema's words. "When I tracked down Hiei, I sensed his spirit energy near the forest. It emanated from a small structure in an old Shinto shrine nestled by the woods edge."

"It must be the same shrine where Kurama and I are stranded right now!" I cried out in realization. "The lock was cut when we came. That means Hiei was there! When did you last see him, Botan!?"

"A few hours ago, before you and Kurama arrived," she answered.

I sprang out of my seat. "I bet he's still around there! Let's find him!"

Botan nodded, determined as I was.

We visualized the forest encompassing the shrine. Our thoughts whisked us there in a split second of time. Our crucial search began.

* * *

A sodden rustle snapped Kurama out of a sound, deep sleep. The rain, it stopped. The shrine, saturated, awash in moisture felt chilly like hands just grazed by ice. He shivered, rising to his feet. He propped me against the wall, my body still asleep. I sank against Ms. Minamono who slept peacefully.

My conscious contained in my spirit body, hovered about outside, unaware of my sleeping body. Hiei! Where was he!? My answer waited below!

"A youkai's spirit energy. Fiery, I sense it, Hiei!" The kitsune's senses raced. His pulse quickened. His heart pounded.

His slipped his long, tapered fingers between the jarred doors. He pushed. The old, damp, door groaned open. He slid through. Outside, all was quiet. Then a seething gaze struck him. He froze, stiff as a statue under its glare, its eyes red and fever bright.

In the shadows of the night, the eyes loomed closer. Under the pale moonlight, their fervent fire softened to a glimmer of clear rubies. His jagged, jet-black hair swayed softly in the wind. The wind played about his cloak, lifting its dark edges on the tiny, muscled frame of his body.

"Hiei, dark and brooding like always." Kurama's voice drifted over.

"Kurama, still calm, even if hell froze over." Hiei's deep voice flowed back.

In my spirit body I alighted on the roof, overhearing them under the shrine's curved eaves.

"What do you want?" said Kurama mildly.

Hiei's lips quivered, he spoke in a hushed murmur. "The artifacts. Bring them to me."

"No," countered Kurama, his reply quiet.

"Fine. You stand in my way now. I'll kill you, traitor." Hiei brushed a hand silently over the hilt of his sword.

In response Kurama brandished his rose whip.

"Botan!" I called out loudly to her. "They're going to fight! Safeguard the artifacts and keep Ms. Minamono inside, okay!?"

She dropped down in her flight. "Alright! Get back to your body, Yusuke! I'll have to materialize. There's not much we can do in our spirit forms."

My thoughts raced to waking up in my body. My conscious gathered, catapulting me back to the material plane in a jarring, agonizing crash! I moaned in pain. My head throbbed, struck by the oscillation of waves.

I returned to my body, crouched on the floor, rubbing my head gingerly. "What the hell, Botan!" I groaned, waking up.

In her material body, she craned over, helping me to my feet. "Next time, do it more slowly, okay?"

"Uh huh." I reached for the artifacts, the Orb of Baast and the Forlorn Hope, shoving them at Botan. "Guard those with your life!"

I raced outside like a bat out of hell. A sword whistled past my head nearly taking it with it. A whip crackled harshly. It shrieked it flying into the steel. The sword flashed, its steel silver bright! The vivid jade whip drove it back!

Its gleam retreated into the curtains of darkness, along with its owner who brandished it. The fire youkai's eyes flared, now searing rubies.

"You fight me so fiercely! Why!?" demanded Hiei over the gleam of his blade.

"It's not you, but your ways I detest," said Kurama, his expression plaintive and overwhelming.

It pierced Hiei's conscience. Hiei froze, dropping his sword. Its cold steel pounded on the shrine's weathered steps. It echoed shattered the night's silence, its cry ruminative like the temple of Hiei's heart. "What do you…mean, Kurama?" he posed.

"I know you, Hiei. You seek power. That's why you want the artifacts. Let's say you have them. Through harnessing them, you conquer the world. Then what? Will you be happy after all that has passed, my friend?" Kurama queried. He scrutinized Hiei intensely.

On the porch I leaned a post that supported the temple's overhang, curious to learn about Hiei. Botan tiptoed behind me, leaving the artifacts inside.

Hiei hissed, "Don't call me friend! Besides, I was never happy, nor will I ever be, so it doesn't matter." He reached under his cloak. He held the last artifact, the sword of darkness.

"Hiei." Kurama edged closer to the short youkai, eying him quizzically.

"Is Hiei giving up the artifact or is he going to attack!?" Botan commented in a whisper near my ear. Botan fixed her eyes on the fire youkai.

"He doesn't seem he will. Let's watch closely," I replied, watching Hiei intently.

The fire youkai's violent gaze subsided. "The artifact won't make me happy." He released it. It hit the ground with a thud. He raised his other hand, opening his palm. The wind blew through his fingers. He closed them, his face pensive, as if the wind stole something. "My life has lost all meaning, now that Kurama has betrayed me."

"What do you mean, Hiei? Explain yourself," I sympathized.

Both Hiei and Kurama's eyes turned to me at the top of the shrine's weathered, lichen stairs.

Hiei titled his head up. He struck me with his cold glare. "Yusuke, before I met Kurama, I was a killer. The Koorhime called me Bringer of the Blood. As the Forbidden Child born to them, I was a violent creature. I loved to see the ripped fleshed just before the blood gushed out, to listen and enjoy the screams of pain. So they threw me out. Blood was always my path. I lived a solitary life. Eventually, after years of life and killing, I tired of the isolation and people rejecting me. Then I met Kurama. My life changed. He became my first and only friend. But now that he's turned his back on me, my life feels empty and dead like the void of outer space," he finished, his voice choked with bitterness. Nothing holds any meaning, that's why he surrendered the artifact.

Silence. Then a slight patter, the falling of rain again, a rueful rain this time. It rained in teardrops. A shower of sadness came weeping across the sky. It felt as if the kami of rain wept upon the heartrending tale of Hiei's plight.

Botan's sky blue eyes widened. They rimmed with tears. Kurama bit his lips, choking off a cry. I clamped my jaws together to keep from crying out.

The kitsune crept forward. He blinked to fight back his tears. "I didn't mean to---"

Hiei cut him off, slapping him hard across the face. Kurama winced, sinking to his knees in defeat. With the aura of a phantom Hiei vanished. Gone into the tear filled rain.

"Kurama-kun!" I leapt down the stairs. I grabbed him from behind, embracing him. "Are you okay!? I'm so sorry, so sorry…" I'll give anything, even my soul to heal him. My poor Kurama, my love…

To be continued…


	13. Captured by a Rose, Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Blood trickled over his lip. He bit down too hard.

"Kurama-kun! You're bleeding!" I cried, brushing my sleeve over his face to clean away the blood.

"I had to bite down, even if I bled. I didn't want him to see my feelings." Kurama ran a pale, porcelain hand over the crimson stain of my shirt. "It's soiled. I'm sorry, Yusuke-kun."

I chuckled. "It's okay." My fingers caressed his swollen rosy lip. Their gentleness silenced him. "Let's go inside and rest, Kurama-kun. " I swept off his feet, carrying him into the shrine's inner sanctity. I lowered him into a dark, cozy corner made for the two of us.

When Botan retrieved the last artifact, Ms. Minamono awoke, wakened by the morning light.

She yawned, rubbing her eyes. "Oh, I feel so energized!"

"You slept a long time," Botan said, gathering all of the artifacts. "Want me to escort you home? The weather is clear, and it looks like Yusuke is still asleep."

"Go ahead with Botan-san, Mother. I'll wait here until Yusuke is awake. Then I'll meet you at home," added Kurama, next to me.

"Sure, why not. I'll see you later, Shuichi-kun. Be a good boy and take care, okay?" Ms. Minamono said before leaving.

Kurama nearly broke out into laughter. He forced himself to keep a straight face. "Okay, Mother. I will."

Botan and Ms. Minamono departed. I breathed a sigh of relief, letting down my guard.

"That poor Hiei, such a tortured soul," I said, still feeling tired.

I leaned against his tired, aching body. He panted, his breath heavy and deep. A thick film of perspiration coated his face. A sliver of moonlight invaded in through a crack in the wall, catching its bright sheen. How beautiful his face shone like freshly painted porcelain! I entwined my fingers in his fiery, mane-like hair.

He curled his hands around my fingers, lost in his lovely maze of hair, soft as a sheet of wine-colored satin. "Yusuke-kun, I tried to love him like you loved me, yet it wasn't meant to be. I'll tell you why. In the Demon Realm a myth tells about an enchanted snow goddess who lived high up in the glaciers. One day, the only male she loved broke her fragile heart. From her tears, the koorhime, a female race of ice youkai came to be. The hatred of the goddess cursed them. If any koorihime dared to mate with a male, he'd impregnate her with a Forbidden Child. That's what the curse does."

"A Forbidden Child, like Hiei." I nuzzled my nose into his neck, intoxicated by the rosy scent of his skin. "Did the curse stop you from loving him?"

"Yes," Kurama replied, heartbroken. His fingertips traced patterns down my arm in the smooth strokes of a painter's brush, leaving a slight, sensual tickle in its wake. "Hiei's mother, Hina, sinned against the goddess by loving a man. After Hina's death, the goddess desired that Hiei should suffer too. So she filled his heart with rage. That's what makes Hiei so violent and solitary. When we met my presence somehow calmed him. Then we became friends. In time I fell in love. Every time we came too close, his rage surfaced, driving us apart. This happened many times over driving me crazy. I became depressed, suicidal. If I stayed with him any longer, I'd kill myself out of madness. I suffered too long, putting his needs before mine. That is why I had to leave, even if Hiei felt rejected, empty or lonely."

"I don't blame you, Kurama-kun," I whispered, nestling my head in the warm crook of neck. "It was not only your mother's illness but this drama as well drove you into the depths of despair."

My lover pushed back my hair, sinking his lips onto my forehead. A kiss of burning love, sweet and deep like before. "A lost relationship, a dying parent, now a wounded memory, I want our love to heal it." Both passion and sorrow stung him as a gleam in his eye.

"Oh my love, it will, into a world beyond your dreams," I uttered in utmost bliss. "My lover, my soul mate, my light, I'm yours!" I took his face in both my hands and kissed him full on the lips.

In our dreams that kiss took us to Heaven. We soared in our spirit bodies high above clouds in the predawn darkness. At the edge of the horizon where land and sky met the sun rose. Its vermilion rays reached out like wings of fire, spilling out into a pink and violet hue that ignited darkened sky, heralding a new day.

The burning orb climbed higher behind my lover. Its golden aura erupted in a backlit shower of light, silhouetting his celestial figure. His skin glowed brightly, illuminated from the inside out by pure white light. His hair transformed into a flowing fire.

I squinted in the blinding light. "Are you God?"

His musical laugh rang out. "No, Yusuke-kun. This is the true form of my spirit body! Let us join our Light, our spirit bodies as one. This is the highest form of love between two people, comparable to the direct merging of the soul with God."

His green eyes danced. In them I gazed at my twin reflection that yearned for his love. It erupted, spilled over, flooding into my being. Joy swept over me in a wash of great passion.

I called out his name. He called out mine. In a cosmic cry that sang through the Heavens to the Heart of All Creation, our spirit bodies joined as one. Our combined Light crashed like two comets hurled at one another in a nova like explosion that lit the sky.

After we climaxed in love, our spirit bodies descended down in a way two snowflakes whirled from the sky. We alighted atop the shrine roof. The pink energy of love swirled in our spirit body auras. When we returned to our physical bodies, we carried that energy with us.

I felt the weight of my fleshly garment pull me in, its skin enclosing me as if I might be a caterpillar snug in its cocoon. The pink energy seeped out into my body, filling every cell of it in a light, buoyant and pleasant feeling. This pleasantness stirred within me a new sensation. I smelled in my memory the perfume of Kurama's scent. I imagined in my senses the softness of his touch. The intensity of the dream and the sensation of touching him, called out to the visceral recesses of my mind.

A slight arousal sprang to life. I felt my conscience torn in two halves: one part focused on lust, the other love, locked in conflict, battling within. I will not allow love to surrender to lust, especially with Kurama here. "So innocent…"

The edges of his lips curled up slightly. "Did you say…innocent, Yusuke-kun?"

I slipped back, crossed my legs together, hoping to conceal what arousal remained.

He rose on all fours, head craned above my lap, smirking. "You are the innocent one, my beloved."

"Kurama-kun, come again?" I gasped, backed up against old, wooden walls.

A sweet laughter escaped his parted lips. "I shall explain, Yusuke-kun." He reached up, caressing my cheek. "I bared more of my soul to you. That brought us closer. So we shared the same dream. In that dream I showed you the true image of my spirit body. Its appearance is the reflection of my soul. The love you felt from it awakened your soul. We merged our spirit bodies together, consumed in this great, indescribable love. When your spirit body returned to its physical body, you felt that love in the form of a sexual desire, since our love is the romantic type."

A bright flush mounted in my cheeks.

"Don't worry, Yusuke-kun. I won't do anything you're not ready for." He stroked my smooth, tanned face. "Yusuke-kun I love you so much, I'll wait until the end of time." He pressed his lips to mine, his love flowing into the core of my soul itself. My soul stirred, joining with his through the touch of our lips. With closed lids, I returned to that dream, from which I prayed never to awaken.

To be continued…


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Against all desires, morning came. The morning last blasted in, opening my eyes and my lovers. I yawned drinking in splashes of warm, honey golden sunlight that I gulped down like liquid light. Its sweetness tasted pure, like nectar that a hummingbird drinks from a flower.

Suddenly a hummingbird I thought of darted in to the shrine, its buzz resonant and soothing in the low hum of bees that work busily. The hummingbird's ruby glimmer on iridescent emerald flashed in my face. I followed it outside to the shrine veranda, lured by its hypnotic gleam.

"Yusuke-kun?" A pair of fair hands slid under my arms, fastened around my waist. "Good morning. You slept well?"

I massaged them in my hands, thumbing their palms in broad, deep strokes. His hands relaxed. I gripped them, blissfully interweaving my fingers between his. "Eh, just okay. So much has happened lately. I feel kind of sad leaving it."

"I know, but you know what poets say about love, Yusuke-kun?" recited Kurama affectionately. "When you're ignited by true love, every nerve in your body burns like a firefly on fire. The flame of love is so strong, yet sadly it burns just a brief moment. It'd break my heart to loose the fire of our love. I want it to burn on, beyond death itself."

"Me too. I'm not poet, but I know you're saying we need some distance, or we'll exhaust our relationship too quickly." I squeezed him with all my strength. "I don't want to leave you!"

"I don't either. Even a fire must rest, my friend, or it can't burn forever," sniffled Kurama, clutching me back. "I'll call you in a few days. Goodbye, love." He kissed me.

He called me 'love' for the first time! My heart sang with joy! That afternoon, we parted ways. I cried out to his image etched in my memory. I grasped it with my hands only to feel empty air. My heart writhed in pain. How sore it became.

* * *

A ladybug tottered off the edge of a leaf, falling in Kurama's palm. Its smooth, polished shell reflected a glint of orange light that struck Kurama's eye.

"Is it just luck I found you in a rose bush outside my house?" speculated Kurama, crooning over the orange-shelled bug.

"Maybe it's a sign that your relations with Hiei will improve," chimed Botan, sheltered from the sun under the porch of Kurama's house.

The kitsune stood up, turning towards the spirit messenger. "Oh, hi Botan-san. You returned with my mother from the shrine so soon? How is she?"

"Just great! She's fixing lunch now," exclaimed Botan eagerly. "What about Yusuke?"

Kurama laughed, allowing the ladybug to roam over his hand, "Yusuke, I do love him, and I'll miss him so much. Though, I do not know for sure, I hope that Yuusuke feels the same. And when we meet again, we will savor the time all the more."

They're really grown, realized Botan silently. When I return the three artifacts to Koenma-sama, he'll assign Yusuke another mission. What if that breaks them up? If it does, I can never forgive myself!

* * *

Late that afternoon, a gusty breeze whistled in through my window, its cry a swallow on the wing crying out to its mate. The wind whipped around in a cyclonic whirl, twisting dark satin curtains in its maddening dancing. Botan flew in on her broom through their dance.

"Oh, hey! What's new?" I said to her, lying on my bed.

"I've returned the artifacts to Koenma-sama. Here's a letter from him." She handed me an envelope.

I read a letter inside as follows:

"Dear Yusuke,

Thank you very much for a job well done. I regret to say, I regret to inform you of your next mission so soon. Recently, there have been usual activities in the Demon Realm by the boarder near the Human Realm. Spirit Realm observers sense their no ordinary youkai, but powerful warlords. No doubt that when the barrier thins, they may well invade the Human Realm. I've asked a good friend of mine, Master Genkai to train you in the limited time that remains until the youkai invasion. Urameshi Yusuke, you are the Spirit Realm and humanity's only hope! Please visit Genkai immediately!"

Signed,

Koenma

"Damn, can't that toddler do one thing by himself. Fine I'll go!" I flopped onto the bed, arms behindmy head, "Anything else that brat wants?"

Botan shook her head.

"Hnnn, fine."I turned his face away from her, and closed his eyes.I heard the young spirit messenger fly out ofmy window andI relaxed.I knewI had to do this but I hated the factI wasn't going be able to see Kurama for a while.

* * *

After lunch, in his room Kurama wrote in his journal:

"Dear Diary,

"How I miss my Yu-kun so much. His smiles, his laughter, even his silly jokes. As much as I want to be with him, I need time to myself. I didn't tell my love that. I hold him in all my heart, along with other painful feelings. Those feelings are the reason for my needed isolation. Where did they come from? Hiei."

"Hiei's mother, Hina, sinned against the goddess by loving an outside man. So the goddess decided to punish Hiei by pouring out the rage of her soul, into the once pure vessel of Hiei's heart. For the rest of his life, he walked the path anger. But its not his anger, it's the goddess's. Every time Hiei tried to love me, he felt the pain and suffering of the goddess's broken heart. Her agony became his; his agony became hers, like darkness mired in darkness."

"Just allow your self to love me," I told him.

"I can't," Hiei cried back. "If I'm hurt again, I'll die."

"It's not you who is hurt. It's the goddess who cursed you," I clarified.

"Shut up!" he hissed. "You don't know my suffering or my pain!"

"Every time we tried to love each other, it ended up in an argument like this, most often with Hiei lashing out violently, over and over. This went on for a few years, eventually driving my own soul into the pits of depression itself. Depression is awful. You don't care if you lived or died. Did the sun rise? Did the birds outside your window sing sweetly? None of it mattered. In depression, you hung in a state of limbo between life and death. Your mind is like a ghost that commands an empty shell. Soon, death seemed inviting. Of course I met Yu-kun, and you know the rest of the story, Diary."

"Now that I love Yu-kun, I could never go back to loving Hiei, even if he could love me. Still, I can't stand seeing poor Hiei suffer. I'd like to become his friend again, but how?"

Kurama stopped writing. A rusting outside his window caught his attention. He glanced outside. A fiery gaze fell over him. Hiei. He snaked down a slender tree branch a few feet from the kitsune's window. Crimson ruby eyes peered at him with guilt.

"Hiei…" whispered Kurama. "Come inside."

The fire youkai crept into his room. "Back at the temple I hurt you, Kurama."

"You had every right to, Hiei. I betrayed you when I left," sympathized Kurama, averting his gaze away from his former lover.

"It was my fault you left in the first place," sighed Hiei, reclining on the redhead's bed. "I didn't want to admit it then, that the curse of the ice goddess controls my life. My heart is receptacle for her pain. As long as she suffers from her unrequited love, I myself can't love. That's the real meaning of why my life has no meaning now."

Kurama clutched the shorter youkai against his chest, their bodies now pressed together on his bed. "I know how you feel, Hiei."

"Isn't it better to die?" The fire youkai borrowed his head in the kitsune's chest.

Long slender hands grabbed Hiei's head, yanking it back, so his met eye to eye with Kurama. "Don't be a fool!" snapped Kurama, who rarely showed anger. In this case, he couldn't contain it, driven over the edge by the thought of his comrade dying. "It's easier to die than to love. Yusuke-kun taught me what love is. That's the reason I keep living. And as my friend, I love you more than anyone, Hiei-kun."

"Hiei-kun…you called me Hiei-kun," the Jagan warrior cried. "Only friends say –kun."

"I've always wanted to call you that. I didn't think you'd let me," Kurama chuckled, cupping Hiei's cheek in his palm.

"Heh," Hiei replied sarcastically. A smirk crossed his face. He snuggled closer to his partner. "So we're friends again now?"

"Of course we're friends. Hiei, you'll find a way to love someday. I'm sure if we find a way to help the ice goddess, then you might be freed from that curse" Kurama smiled, twisting his fingers in Hiei's hair.

Hiei sighed. "I'm glad you'll help me, but now you're Yusuke's. We were so intimate…"

The kitsune's arms pushed suddenly at Hiei. "In lust, not love. Satisfying the body won't make you happy, only the heart will, Hiei-kun. I'll do everything in my power to free you from the ice goddess and find for you a true lover!"

To be continued…


	15. Chapter 15

Hi Hedi Dracona, thank you for your corrections on the spelling. I fixed Muguru's name in this chapter. I will fix the other ones too.

Chapter 15

A few days later I said goodbye to Kurama by telephone. Our conversation went like this.

I said to him, "Kurama-kun, I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too, Yu-kun. Not a moment goes by where I don't think about you," Kurama replied, his voice sunken in sadness. "You know that rose I gave you? When you get lonely, take it out, hold it, and know, you're holding me."

"A-alright," I said, twiddling the rose he gave me in my hands. "I will."

The sound of his voice made me ache. I wanted to be with him more than anything. But now I have this stupid mission. Damn you, Koenma!

To find Genkai's place I hiked deep into the mountains. It was autumn. Gold fields stretched out into a valley below, where the canopy above turned red. All around the mountains as far as the eye could see red, orange, yellow, green and brown treetops burned in a fiery autumn dance. In the distance, a snow capped peak rose, white at the top, and a smoky blue, just under the snowline to its base, where bare rock shone in many shades from gray to dark blue. The lake below, crystal clear, captured every detail of the mountain's reflection in absolute perfection. It's so lovely, if only Kurama were here.

"Kurama-kun …" I said with a sigh. "Even if I hold this rose, its not you."

Beyond the Human Realm there existed a world the sun ceased to set or rise, casting the in land in a sad and gloomy twilight. In this shadowy, godforsaken world, power struggles between various youkai warlords shattered what joy people clung to in life. Centuries after centuries of warfare and hell weighed heavily on the soul until it found no more, wandering in the darkness.

Youkai of the Demon Realm once heard of a heaven where the sun always shined called the Human Realm. So various inhabitants gathered in a place called the City of Beyond, ruled by the Four Holy Saint Beasts. The leader of those Four, a powerful youkai lord by the name of Suzaku promised his people, "Follow me and you'll find your freedom." He amassed an army with it the youkai lord Suzaku planned to invade the Human Realm. Every day from the top of Maze castle, Suzaku and his Saint Beasts cast their magic in hopes of weakening the barrier that separated both Human and Demon Realms. In the Spirit Realm, this troubled Koenma, and so he decided that after my training at Genkai's, I'd travel to the Demon Realm to thwart Suzaku's efforts.

In the Makai, in a place City of Beyond, high up in its fortress a lonely melody drifted on the wind, beckoning to any who might listen.

"Oh, Suzaku-sama's flute! It's so beautiful!" sang Muguru, soaring towards the utmost fortress chamber where her master awaited.

She flew in to the large empty chamber where Suzuaku sat on his throne, eyes closed, his face hidden in shadow, lips pressed softly to his flute's reed as breath passed over it, escaping in his instrument through the uncovered finger holes in a haunting, almost divine melody from heaven itself. Pale white fingers maneuvered up and down over the various holes, the tune rising and falling with Suzaku's mood. As the final, lingering note died off in the silence, Muguru alighted on his shoulder.

"Suzaku-sama…that was divine…" chipred Muguru, nuzzling up against Suzaku's neck.

From the violet tuft of feathers on her head, to the emerald green plumage down her back, he stroked her affectionately. "Muguru dear, you always flatter me. My youkai minions find me bitter, sarcastic and psychotic," Suzuaku said, his smile slightly as he treated his bird to a head scratch.

"How dare they insult my Suzaku-sama," cooed Muguru in bliss. "I should kill them for saying that."

"Easy now, Muguru…" whispered Suzaku, his violet irises reflecting Muguru's image back, in which she admired herself. "If we kill all my minions who will invade the Human world, once we thwart this barrier?"

"We do need an army after all. As stupid as they are, without them, Suzaku-sama can't expand his empire," twittered Muguru quietly. "But why invade the human world? Humans are such defiled creatures."

"As dirty as they are, I desire their world. I heard it's a paradise where the sun bathes the land in gold and people are free. It's the land I've dreamed of," sighed Suzaku, visualizing the human realm.

"I want to see it so badly," cried Muguru.

"Yes, my dear, I will show you." Suzaku lifted a hand towards the magic mirror on the wall in front of his throne. "Mirror, reveal to me the beauty of the human realm."

On the mirror's flawless surface an image of the human realm appeared. A breath-taking panorama stretched out in a full 360-degree view, spanning the horizon in a broad expansive arc. There, the sea and sky joined in perfect harmony. Their colors blended together in a shade of deep, cobalt blue. Near the coastline, the cobalt transitioned into a lighter azure, fading into a distinctive, bright aqua that boarded the shore.

"Japan," said Suzaku. "Mirror, now show me the most beautiful thing in that land."

The mirror's view zoomed in closer to the town, then the house where Kurama lived. Out in his rose garden, Kurama knelt over cutting off dead leaves on his rosebushes. Suzaku froze, fixated on his long flame like hair that flowed in the wind. His eyes shifted to the smooth, porcelain skin of his face, the soft jaw line too round and sweet for a boy, and those lips were so full and pink like rose petals, Suzaku yearned to kiss them. Kurama gazed up; his eyes wide open, batting his long, thick, black eyelashes. Rays of sunlight danced in his emerald orbs, eyes that Suzaku felt himself drown in. Amidst the enchantment somehow, the mirror managed to capture scent of roses in Kurama's garden, the sweet perfumed smell wafted through Suzaku's chamber. The youkai lord fell back in his throne, his senses overwhelmed, unable to breathe or speak.

"Suzaku-sama? Suzaku-sama?" Muguru flew by the mirror to catch her master's attention. He just stared out, focused on Kurama's image. "Are…are you…in love?"

To be continued…


	16. Chapter 16

Dear reviewers, thank you for all of your support and encouragement. It helps me keep writing! On a side note, Hiei came out more nasty and sarcarstic. Think I'm getting his personality down.

* * *

Chapter 16

"I _want_ him." The timbre of the youkai lord's voice rumbled heavily in the back of his throat, heated with stark desire. "Bring him to me, Muguru and use those." In his hands Suzaku materialized two thunderbolts, long and jagged, gleaming and solid, their tips sharp to the touch. "Throw one at Kurama to bind him up, use the other to ward off attackers lest the dare interfere."

"Oh, yes, Lord Suzaku-sama, I will," cooed Muguru reverently, catching the thunderbolts in her talons.

"I'm counting on you, dear," said Suzaku, stroking her deep green plumage. "Now I can only manifest a portal for a few seconds, so capture him quickly." Suzaku joined his palms and chanted, "Thunder of the sky, I summon you to my chambers. With all your might, connect the demon realm to the human world with a door of light!" The skies darkened, thunder roared in a deafening crack, and lightning shooting straight down to Suzaku's chamber through the opening above in the domed ceiling. It formed into an odd horseshoe shape, its edges wavering, distorting time and space inside. A window to Kurama's garden appeared and Muguru passed through to the kitsune's world.

"What the hell?" stammered Kurama, blinded by the sudden flash of lightning in his backyard.

Muguru dived at him, knocking him over. She released the first thunderbolt, which shot out at him, ensnaring him in its power. "Got you, pretty boy!" cackled Muguru evilly.

"Kurama!" cried Hiei, diving at the bird, unleashing his katana.

"No one thwart's Suzaku-sama's might!" screeched Muguru, hurling the second bolt viciously at Hiei.

Hiei screamed at the top of his lungs, writhing from the pain that burned his skin and fried his hair. "What the hell's Suzaku want with Kurama?" he hissed, scythed from the attack.

Muguru plunged at Kurama, snatching him by the lightning shackles. As she plummeted towards the portal with Kurama in tow, she squawked, "His beauty. And don't you think of rescuing him or Suzaku-sama kills you. Not that it matters because once my lord destroys the barrier, the human world will be ours, and you'll all die anyway!"

As the portal closed and Kurama vanished, Hiei uttered "Suzaku…you bastard…" and lost consciousness.

* * *

"Kurama-kun!" I cried grasping the rose the kitsune gave me as I hiked to Genkai's temple. The rose instantly withered, its lush stem limp, its sweet scent gone, and silky petals browned, blown away in the wind. "Something's happened to Kurama-kun! Must hurry to Genkai's!"

* * *

"Hiei!" shouted Botan, jumping off her broom to tend to his wounds. "This is awful! Third degrees burns from a lightning attack." Botan concentrated on gathering a ball of reiki in her palms over Hiei's body. The blue green energy spread enveloping him in its light. Slowly, the burns healed, as new skin grew over charred flesh. "Oh poor Hiei, who would do such a cruel thing to you?" she sniffled, forcing herself to focus. 

"Only wimps cry," groaned Hiei under his breath, gradually regaining conscious. He hissed as she healed the last of the burnt flesh on his neck. All of his clothes, his shirt and his pants were gone scorched from Muguru's attack.

Under normal circumstances Botan might take in his features, studying his slim, naked well muscled body, yet now she could only cry. "Hiei, are you okay? What happened?"

"That fg Suzaku, he kidnapped Kurama," Hiei hissed, wrapping himself in the pink kimono Botan gave him. "Soon, he'll invade the human world. I could care less."

"Your heartless, Hiei," wept Botan, sinking to her knees. "Kurama-kun's your friend, and this is how you treat him?"

"Just shut up, woman," grumbled Hiei, fuming at her. "I'll save Kurama. But the human world means nothing."

Hiei remembered what Kurama said before. _We're friends, Hiei. Someday you'll know what true love is. I'll do everything in my in my power to free you from the ice goddess and find for you a true lover. _

The fire youkai thought, _Yes, Kurama-kun loves me. He's the only one who has and he'd die for me. The least I can do is save him now even if I die. _

"Won't you need Yusuke-kun's help?" asked Botan timidly, wiping away her tears.

"He can go to hell for all I care. He stole my lover," remarked Hiei coldly, his voice bitter with hatred, chilling Botan to the bone.

_This isn't good_, thought Botan to herself, shivering. _They'll have to work together._

TBC…


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Hi everyone! Thank you so much for your support and reviews. Please let me know what you think of the chappie. Enjoy it.

/…../ means thoughts.

* * *

_/Oh, my head, it hurts/_ Kurama thought to himself. _/Can't move, something tight/_

"Well, well, Suzaku-sama, our guest has woken up," Muguru cooed, perching on Suzaku's shoulder.

The youkai lord crossed one leg over the other, relaxing in his throne as he sipped a glass of red wine. He smiled lustfully, taking in the lovely features of the kitsune shackled by his lightning magic at the foot of his throne. Through half lidded eyes, Kurama gazed at pale youkai feet in red slippers. Around the ankles burnished gold bangles, reflecting the firelight from two torches that flanked the throne.

As Suzaku shifted the bangles jingled making a pleasant noise. "Welcome to my abode, Kurama."

"Suzaku?" Kurama groaned, struggling against his restraints.

"At last you're awake," Suzaku noted, staring down through his wine.

"Why am I here? And where's Hiei?" asked Kurama, his manner calm as he rose up to his knees, his arms held back by the magic.

"You're friends are back in the human world," answered Suzaku aggravated at the thought of mere humans. "And as for why you're here, that's another story." He raised a hand, releasing Kurama from the lightning. "Please, make yourself comfortable."

The kitsune stood up, straightening his uniform as he eyed Suzaku suspiciously.

"I take it you don't trust me yet," jested Suzaku, placing his empty glass on the arm of his throne. He motioned to Muguru to summon the servants. She nodded flying out of the chamber. "As you probably know from Koenma, particular youkai warlords have weakened the dimensional barrier between the human and demon realms. Those lords would be my Saint Beasts and I. Of course once we destroy the barrier the human world will be ours."

"I'm afraid to say your plans make us enemies, Suzaku-san. As a reikai tantei, it is my sworn duty to help Urameshi Yusuke protect all of humanity," apologized Kurama.

"Just the speech I'd expect from an ally of Urameshi's," replied Suzaku wearily, sinking back in his throne. "But forget about him."

"I'm sorry, Suzaku-san, I can't," declined Kurama respectfully.

_/He's so beautiful as well as polite. I just can't stand that stubbornness/_ thought Suzaku to himself. He cupped Kurama's cheeks in his hands, drawing him closer. "Are you more loyal to your fellow humans than your youkai brethren?"

"It's not that," Kurama shivered, feeling Suzaku's fingertips caress his smooth skin. _/That touch, its just like Yusuke's. I miss him/ _

"That pitiful human, you love him," hissed Suzaku crossly. He broke his caress, slapping Kurama's face.

The kitsune winced, swallowing his anger. Any sudden move might further incite the youkai lord's wrath, resulting in punishment or even death. Kurama feared his malice and godlike power over lightning.

Suzaku smirked, lips curled in a twisted smile. "If you value his life, you'll do as I say." As the youkai lord pointed towards the mirror mounted in his chamber, my image manifested in it.

I ran without stopping to Genkai's temple, scaling mountains and rivers in the middle of the wilderness. If anyone could help me find out what happened to Kurama she could.

"Yu-kun." My name escaped Kurama's lips, his gaze transfixed on my picture in the mirror.

"Lightning, smite him," commanded Suzaku, absent of all mercy.

Out of nowhere thunder crackled splitting the calm blue sky above. In a flash of blinding light lightning plunged where I stood.

"Rei-gun!" I cried, wrapping one hand around my wrist, shooting reiki out a finger to deflect the attack. I pushed most of it away, except for a splinter of lightning. It hit me head on, burning away the all the clothes on my left arm.

"Yusuke!" wailed Kurama at the top of his lungs, reaching out at the mirror.

"Disobey me and I won't miss next time," warned Suzaku coldly. "You'll do as I say or he'll die."

Kurama's body shook with rage, fists ready to fly at the youkai lord. _/No I can't give in, for Yusuku's sake. I love him. If I'm forced to act unfaithful to save you, forgive me, Yu-kun/_

Shiori rushed outside shocked to see the charred patch of grass on the lawn. Botan knelt by Hiei adjusting the pink kimono she dressed him in.

"Really, Hiei. It's all I had," Botan chuckled, helping him up.

"Whatever," Hiei replied curtly.

"My dear Shuichi-kun, what happened to him?" Shiori asked them desperately.

Botan shut her eyes looking away. "He's gone, Ms. Minamino. But don't worry. We'll get him back. I swear."

Shiori clasped her hands in front of her chest, bowing her head deeply as a gesture of appreciation. "Thank you, Botan-san. I know I can count on you. Please bring him back safely, okay dear?"

"I'll do everything I can, Ms. Minamino," reassured Botan confidently.

"So will I," added Hiei at last, feeling obliged to help his close friend.

"Everything…hurts…" I uttered in pain.

"Take it easy there," an old gruff woman's voice called out over me.

I regained consciousness in an old temple, the halls dark, its floors made of highly polished wood. Outside was a long winding veranda outside typical of traditional Japanese architecture. A steeply pitched roof above, covered in red clay tiles had its eaves extended out over the verandas, where the space opened up into a surrounding garden.

I spied Genkai in the back of the temple, out on a veranda overlooking the temple garden. She meditated on a bamboo woven tatami matt, shaded by the overhanging roof. From the area where she sat, stepping-stones were placed across an asymmetrical pond, boarded with stones. Lush grasses grew in the garden along with evergreen trees that symbolized eternity. An outer bamboo fence enclosed the garden, its yellow branches assembled diagonally, held in place with long horizontal branches.

I approached Genakai, stepping down on the grassy area below the veranda by the pond, where I washed my hands in a low stone basin, fed by a constantly running bamboo pipe. A stone lantern was placed nearby, adding to the overall aesthetic effect of Genkai's Japanese garden.

"Peaceful, isn't it?" commented Genkai from the elevated walkway above me, awakening from her meditation.

"Yeah, it is, Baa-san," I agreed, taking in the garden's beauty. "I'm too worried to focus on it."

"Its about your friend, Kurama?" the old woman inquired, rolling up her bamboo matt. "Koenma sent word that the youkai lord Suzaku kidnapped him. He tried to attack you through the weakened barrier. That's why the lightning came from. I found outside unconscious."

"That damn Suzaku!" I growled, gritting my teeth. "I knew something happened to Kurama-kun! Take me so Suzaku, so I can kiss his ass right now."

Genkai sighed, crossing her arms. "Confront Suzaku and he'll kill you. You don't have a chance. That's why you must train first, Yusuke. And you'll be needing the help of your other friends."

"Friends? Which friends?" I muttered, frowning at her.

The old woman chuckled. "Botan and Hiei of course. Koenma says they'll be coming here soon."

"K'so," I cursed. "Does that goddamn toddler think he controls everything?"

"You'd better respect the great Koenma. He's a good friend of mine." Genkai knocked me out for insulting him.

That hag's got a strong left hook.

TBC…


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

/Damn soul reaper/ Hiei cursed under his breath. Still clad in the pink kimono Botan dressed him in; he perched behind her on the back of her oar high in the evening sky. Flicking his wrist out from under its sleeve, black demon fire sparked in his fingers.

"And what was that?" Botan asked, glancing behind sharply at Hiei.

"Hmph," he spat, pulling back his hand. Reddish flames burned in his tiny irises, each a pinpoint of rage. Shutting them, his lips curled to a subtle yet menacing grin.

"We're almost at Genkai's," Botan continued, ignoring him. They left behind the landscape of city lights over forests and mountains, showered beneath silver moonlight.

"Suzaku-san, this will stop." Though still shackled by lightning magic, Kurama stood up firmly, his voice still and even. The keen observer he was, Kurama learned quickly any trace of emotion merely betrayed his weakness, thus suddenly changing behavior.

_/How interesting. Not the simple beauty I thought/ _Suzaku too shifted in demeanor, realizing Kurama's tactics.

"I take it you'll obey me," stated Suzaku plainly, a cold undertone laced in his calculating voice.

The kitsune merely nodded, his emerald irises fixed steadily on Suzaku. Underneath that guise deep reflections stirred _/My love for Yusuke is born from the compassion I gained as a human, Suzaku fails to know/ _

Upon the youkai lord snapping his pale fingers, the lightning cast snare he cast on Kurama instantly fizzled. No movement from Kurama when it did, only his attentive gaze watching back.

"This way." Suzaku gestured, taking the last step off his throne, bangles by his feet jingling pleasantly as he moved. An inner twitch that shook in his walk betrayed his latent wrath. _/My lovely guest, I welcome you to my abode, this is how you treat me, you'll pay dearly, I swear/_

Kurama clearly saw this. Beneath his observant exterior, he smiled inwardly. _/His reaction is good. He may have power, but I have patience/_

Back in the human world at Genkai's, Yusuke lay out at the veranda gazing at the sky. It twinkled like a blanket of millions of tiny diamonds the gods might of scattered in heaven. Each star nearer to the moon seemed to brighten in every sparkle. Only the moon's silver aura washed out her celestial jewels.

"Kurama…" Yusuke murmured, making a fist toward the sky above. "I swear I'll kick his ass."

In the Makai world, lavish furniture adorned Suzaku's chambers. Silken sheets drapped over his low gilded wood frame bed. Candlelight flickered off white stucco walls painted with scenes that glorified Suzaku's princely rule. Lavender incense clung to the air from the burners placed throughout. Suzaku's pale arm swept aside partly transparent curtains that hung in the vaulted entryway to his room.

Kurama gasped at the splendors he saw present: a large circular mirror framed in bronze above his dresser, the delicate table and chairs cast in fine metalwork, topped by the fragile china drinking set table's surface above. A bottle of red wine lay in the middle waiting for a couple's potential merriment. But this was not to be, at least to the kitsune's feigned pleasure.

Suzaku believed it was true, or he wanted to, seeing Kurama's thin smile as the firelight flickered in his irises. So greatly Kurama convinced Suzaku that he felt it was real, forgetting all acts on Kurama's clever part.

"Let's drink," Kurama said modestly, gesturing to the chairs on either side of the table.

Nodding ardently, Suzaku hurried ahead too eager to think twice. Before the kitsune took his own seat he offered, "Let me" pouring wine into both of their porcelain cups. Kurama turned around filling his cup second. Smirking, Suzaku slipped powder from a vial of sleeping potion from his clothes. Thinking Kurama never noticed he stood up striding towards the kitsune.

Gesturing back for him to sit down, Suzaku took the side originally meant for Kurama, with the cup lacking the powdered solution. Pretending he never saw, Kurama casually settled in the seat Suzaku first occupied. The solution itself was tasteless, odorless, and colorless, perfect for sedating a victim to be assaulted unconscious. Yes, Suzaku might go that far not having experienced love like Kurama did from his human mother, Shiori.

Given the kitsune's acute senses even in human form, the magenta haired beauty noted odd scuffling sounds when his back was turned to Suzaku. Taking precautions, he buried a demon seed in the flesh of his left wrist. If any hidden magic or attack took effect the demon seed could absorb it, sending out from Kurama's body through plants that grew out his body.

With absolute self-control, Kurama suppressed all painful hints portraying a mild countenance.

"Please, try it first," said the youkai lord deviously. He crossed one slender leg over the other under the table, extending one arm towards Kurama, while resting his chin on the other.

"I've come to appreciate your hospitality, but still…" Turning his lovely gaze downcast, Kurama acted humbly, at least in his outer guise.

A deceptive smile rose on Suzaku's coral lips. "Of course, go ahead, Kurama."

"Well, since his lordship insists," replied the kitsune playfully. He started to enjoy this game he almost forgot about the lingering danger. Cunning like other fox spirits his age, he knew how to enjoy himself and implement his plans at once. "I will."

Flicking of his free unmarred wrist, Kurama raised his cup. The eyes of his fox spirit peered out behind his human eyes over the rim of the cup. Lifting it ever slightly, Kurama's darting tongue tasted the first sweet sip of wine.

Rest assured his plan worked the youkai lord drank too. It didn't take long until the alcohol's effect kicked in. Feeling tipsy, Suzaku laughed, his cheeks flushed with pink. Of course underneath the gaiety lurked Suzaku's deep-seated desires. Unrestrained lust, ambitions to conquer the humans, visceral hate for Koenma all lay inside, right behind that forced almost genuine smile.

Immediately, Kurama felt some dizziness spread over. The demon seed in his wrist reacted instantly, drawing in the solution dissolved in his blood. Feeling his mind start to clear, he thought, _Just as I suspected, Suzaku._ _You're still the same as you were 700 years ago when I lived as Youko the Thief. _

Remaining composed, Kurama hinted at no change in his demeanor projected out. Inside, however, he controlled the demon seed's growth, allowing its sprouting stalk to break through his perfect smooth skin. Growing out, it tore away at his flesh from cruel thorns poking out of the stalk. Nourished by blood and the solution, the vine like plant coiled on the floor, growing teeth in one of its blossoms. Beautiful on the outside, the blossom clamped its jaws, lined with razor sharp teeth as Kurama mentally maneuvered the plant over to Suzaku's unsuspecting feet.

Opening its mouth, the man-eating blossom slowly bit into the flesh of Suzaku's left ankle, so subtly he didn't even feel it. All the sleeping poison Kurama absorbed went right in Suzaku's blood carried through his arteries and vains.

Realizing what happened, Suzaku's eyes went wide and jaw dropped as he silently screamed in pain.

TBC

A/N: I haven't updated this for a while, but I hope it was in char enough. It seems my writing has improved since I last updated, at least I hope. Bad? Good? Okay? Thanks for reading!


End file.
